Americans believe manufacturing industry critical to country’s prosperity, says survey

A new survey from Deloitte and The Manufacturing Institute reports that 76 percent of Americans surveyed believe the U.S. should invest further in the manufacturing industry.

"Modern manufacturing has captured the imagination of the American public and our elected leaders,” said Jay Timmons, CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers. “This important research indicates public opinion of the future of the industry has taken a measurable, positive jump as people acknowledge the strong connection between this industry, the U.S. economy, and the American way of life.”

More than eight in 10 respondents see manufacturing as vital to America’s livelihood. Among those surveyed, 83 percent believe U.S. manufacturing is critical to economic prosperity, and 81 percent feel it is important to maintaining their standard of living. Eighty-one percent of Americans also believe trade and export of U.S.-manufactured goods benefit the U.S. economy.

More than three-quarters of respondents believe the U.S. needs a more strategic approach to developing its manufacturing base. Seventy-one percent of respondents believe that the U.S. should ensure long-term, stable funding for programs that spur innovation and advanced manufacturing.

Nearly nine in 10 respondents expect future manufacturing jobs will require a higher level of technical skill, and 77 percent expect manufacturing jobs will require less manual labor. Eighty-one percent of respondents believe that future manufacturing jobs will occur in cleaner and safer environments. Sixty-four percent of respondents believe the U.S. manufacturing industry is already high-tech, up from 43 percent in the 2014 survey.

Parents of school-age children, people of Generation X, and those most familiar with manufacturing see manufacturing as the No. 1 one most preferred job-creation engine in the U.S. The overall public ranked manufacturing third, just after technology development centers and health care facilities, in terms of the country’s leading sectors for job creation.

“The demand for these high-skilled positions is expected to soar over the next decade, with 3.5 million manufacturing jobs becoming available between 2015 and 2025 as the industry evolves and baby boomers continue to retire,” said Michelle Drew Rodriguez, senior manager, Deloitte Services LP, and manufacturing leader for Deloitte’s Center for Industry Insights.